CH: Disruption Genève-Lausanne

[Brooke]

Since yesterday afternoon, trains between Lausanne and Genève have been virtually stopped due to subsidence under the tracks near Morges.

With over 24 hours of major disruption so far, including SBB running virtually no trains at rush hour last night and this morning, I thought it was so un-Swiss that it was newsworthy here!

Something that will be familiar to Brits: there were virtually no replacement buses last night other, since the buses or drivers for them couldn’t be found…

I left the office in Genève at 6pm and eventually got to Lausanne at 8.30pm, including Uber-ing across the gap.

More informations here (in French), including nice quote from SBB nicely blaming the chaos on someone else’s pipe running under their tracks:

Trafic ferroviaire encore fortement perturbé entre Lausanne et Genève, des retards à prévoir toute la matinée - Le Temps

La liaison sera assurée par les trains régionaux tandis qu’un service de bus de remplacement est mis en place entre Morges et Allaman, au moins jusqu’à midi ce mercredi. Certaines entreprises recommandent le télétravail aux collaborateurs pendulaires

www.letemps.ch

 

[Beebman]

Video report from local TV:

https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/126...neve-ne-sera-pas-retablie-avant-vendredi.html

It includes interviews with disgruntled replacement bus passengers and an explanation that the pipe under the tracks is part of a scheme to supply local industry with renewable thermal energy.

 

[zero]

Huge generalisation but in my experience transport in the French-speaking areas does not really deserve the "Swiss" reputation, and yes I know half of the trains along the affected route start in the German-speaking area

 

[Bletchleyite]

Huge generalisation but in my experience transport in the French-speaking areas does not really deserve the "Swiss" reputation, and yes I know half of the trains along the affected route start in the German-speaking area

I think from experience that is fair - though stereotypically many of the delays on that route are caused by imported delays from...you guessed it...Italy!

 

[Brooke]

I think from experience that is fair - though stereotypically many of the delays on that route are caused by imported delays from...you guessed it...Italy!

Certainly many of the Milan and Paris trains at Lausanne are late, sometimes very late…

I’m on the way from Lausanne to Genève just now & I can report that there is now a huge army of buses, drivers and platform assistants up and running between Morges and Allaman.

Trains must be stuck on the Genève side of the gap; I’m on a very fancy long-haul train which is currently calling all-stations to Genève.

 

[Austriantrain]

Huge generalisation but in my experience transport in the French-speaking areas does not really deserve the "Swiss" reputation, and yes I know half of the trains along the affected route start in the German-speaking area

I don’t think subsidence in the German-speaking area would have any different consequences. Organising rail replacement buses on short notice is next to impossible everywhere, especially in the amount required for such a busy route.

 

[Route115?]

The Swiss are pretty good at diverting trains and there are generally alternative routes available, particularly in German speaking areas (for example when the Lotschberg route was blocked passengers and some trains were routed via Lausanne). Therefore bus replacements are only required for local journeys. Unfortunately the Geneva - Lausanne route, one of the busiest in the country, route does not have any alternatives. There are plans to add a third track which the region is clamouring for, but this wouldn't have helped here.

I've seen SBB diesels called out if the wires come down - again not a solution here.

So a worse case scenario, but not as serious as when the Basel - Mannheim route was closed.

 

[the sniper]

Unfortunately the Geneva - Lausanne route, one of the busiest in the country, route does not have any alternatives. There are plans to add a third track which the region is clamouring for, but this wouldn't have helped here.

What happened to reopening the line between Évian-les-Bains and Saint-Gingolph on the French/south side of the lake? Not that it'd be a quick alternative route for Geneva - Lausanne! Presumably it'd be over three hours if it were possible to go the long way round?

Going by this video/thread posted by Ron Fisher/@45669 earlier this year, I can't imagine even the reopened, modernised route being particularly quick...

There is a railway line between the French town of Évian-le-Bains and the Swiss town of Le Bouveret. Both towns are situated on the southern shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). The line was closed for general use, but for a while it was used for occasional tourist trains from Le Bouveret to Évian and some of these were steam hauled by a delightful little 0-6-0WT called HANSLI.

Unfortunately, the track on the French side became unsafe, so the popular cross-border tourist train had to be withdrawn. 1998 was the last year of operation, so I was extremely lucky to see it and get this video: